1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a rotary file cabinet, and more particularly to a rotary file and/or storage cabinet having a file assembly that includes an improved rotatable support apparatus that is readily rotatable about a vertical axis which provides a stable well-balanced structure so as to support a plurality of various types of shelves and associated members thereto that define two oppositely positioned storage-bay sections during the rotation of the rotary file assembly or structure from one position to another.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present invention as herein shown and described is an improved version of U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,181 issued to Walter E. Hudnall on May 17, 1994.
Many types of rotary file cabinets are well known in the art; however, there various problems and difficulties that are associated with them, more particularly, the need to provide a suitable means for operating and supporting the many rotatable file structures that are employed in many of the rotary file cabinets. Because of the delicate balance that is required in these rotary file systems they often cause operational limitations that restrict their use, making them unsuitable for extended use due to the inadequate design parameters of their respective rotary support systems or assembles. That is, the average rotatable support system is not adequately designed or constructed to carry heavy loads to be supported within their structures, and this is particularly true when a load is unequally distributed on the shelves within the file bays of the cabinet. Moreover, many of the known commercial rotary file cabinets are not only complicated in their respective constructions but are also sluggish in operation, and thus are often expensive to maintain and operate in an efficient manner.
As examples of some of the known rotary file cabinets one may refer to the following United States patents.
There is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,157 to Gerard A. Robinson a rotary file cabinet which comprises a cabinet having a top cover and a base member which itself forms part of a rotatable bearing unit. The particular arrangement of this unit is often referred to as a lazy-susan and includes an upper bearing plate and a lower bearing plate which are part of the top wall of the base member. Both bearing plates are formed with matching circular ring-shaped separations which together define a ball race for balls, as is well known in the art for this type of bearing structure. Thus, the Robinson's bearing device is the principle supporting means for his rotatable shelf structure as the bearing device is interposed between the base member and the rotary shelf structure which is completely supported by the bearing device. The rotatable shelf structure is held in a vertical alignment by a trunion member defined by an axle pin mounted in the upper cover and which is received in an aligned small bushing and a pivot bolt that is centrally mounted in the bottom of the rotatable shelf structure and affixed to the base member.
Other types of rotary file cabinets having similar flat rotary support bearing units are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,060; U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,311; U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,966 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,809 to Sherwood S. Brownlee, and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,964 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,966 to Frederick H. Grubb, Jr.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,549 to Frank Potter, there is disclosed a cabinet having a rotary file unit supported by an inner post having an outer hexagon rotatable post on which are mounted a plurality of radial shelves.